AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:54 a.m. EST

Twins sign off on Correa’s physical, finalize $200M contract

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Correa finally has a deal done. He passed his physical exam and finalized a $200 million, six-year contract with Minnesota. Correa agreed to return to the Twins after richer deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets both dissolved over concerns by those clubs about an old injury. The new contract with Minnesota could be worth $270 million over 10 seasons if the All-Star shortstop stays healthy. The Twins worked out a uniquely structured deal to jump back in contention for Correa after it appeared they’d be outspent twice by bigger-market franchises.

Record 5 1st-year coaches lead teams into NFL postseason

Coaching changes paid off in a big way for several NFL teams this season. From impressive turnarounds for Jacksonville and the New York Giants to big boosts for Minnesota and Miami, a record-setting five of the 10 teams that hired new coaches for the 2022 season made the playoffs. Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson, the Giants’ Brian Daboll, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell, Miami’s Mike McDaniel and Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles did it. That broke the previous record of four coaches getting to the postseason in their first season with a team, which was set in 1997.

Damar Hamlin’s toy drive: What’s the plan for the $8.6M?

NEW YORK (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin plans to support young people through education and sports with the $8.6 million in GoFundMe donations that unexpectedly poured into his toy drive fundraiser after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a game last week. The Giving Back Fund is a nonprofit that helps athletes and celebrities manage their charitable giving. They will host the “The Chasing M’s Foundation” Charitable Fund. A GoFundMe spokesperson said they will transfer the donations that have come in since Hamlin’s injury. Hamlin’s marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, said he and his family are humbled by the “tremendous support” and will communicate with donors over time.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2023: Unvaccinated Djokovic back, year later

Novak Djokovic will be back in action at the Australian Open when the 2023 Grand Slam season begins next week. He was not able to play in the tournament he’s won nine times a year ago because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19 and was deported from the country. He still has not gotten the shots but a pair of government decisions allowed him to return this time. Rafael Nadal is the defending men’s champion at Melbourne Park and owner of a men’s-record 22 major championships. But Djokovic will be the main focus of attention and the title favorite at the hard-court tournament.

Afghan women athletes barred from play, fear Taliban threats

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan women and girls who once played a variety of sports say they have faced intimidation from the Taliban, including visits and phone calls warning them not to engage in their sports. Since they took power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned sports for women and girls, part of a series of measures that have virtually shut down life for women. One woman said Taliban fighters came to a gym where she was giving private lessons to women in mixed martial arts and detained all of them. Another female athlete said she had gotten threatening phone calls.

NFL offseason a mental, physical reboot process for players

Game plans and practices are replaced in the NFL offseason by all the things players couldn’t do the last several months, with the chance to rejuvenate their minds and bodies. Playoff teams can play deep into January and even into February if they make it to the Super Bowl. But for the players on the 18 teams that failed to make the postseason, the offseason begins when the clock hits zero in the final regular-season game. Some make bigger plans than others. Aaron Rodgers in recent offseasons has hit the beach and even hosted a TV game show. Alvin Kamara has snowboarded in the mountains of Montana.

‘100 or more’: Shiffrin’s idol expects her to keep winning

FLACHAU, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin is set to continue her quest for a record-setting 83rd women’s Alpine skiing World Cup win next week. But her biggest idol sees even larger milestones coming up for the American. Marlies Raich is the Austrian standout who dominated women’s slalom under her maiden name Schild before retiring in 2014. She believes the the 27=year-old Shiffrin’s tally of victories will likely have reached a three-digit figure by the time she retires. Schild says Shiffrin can reach “100 or more” wins. Shiffrin and Raich share a special friendship since the American’s breakthrough at top-level racing in 2011.

Dawgs for 3?: Georgia has chance to make football history

Kirby Smart didn’t really want to discuss his Georgia Bulldogs’ chances for a three-peat on the morning after they won their second straight College Football Playoff championship game. He couldn’t deny that he’s already thinking about next season and and Georgia’s chance to do something unprecedented. The Bulldogs have more national championships than total losses over the past two seasons, and they’re headed into 2023 with the opportunity to be the first team in the AP poll era to win three straight title.s

New admission rules could spark ‘Prime Time’ at Colorado

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The University of Colorado has initiated a pilot program that makes the credit review for transfer students a more seamless process. It may have been the move that ultimately lured Deion Sanders to Boulder. In the new landscape of college football, transfers make all the difference. But because of its stringent admissions rules, Colorado was struggling to adjust to those new realities. The charismatic Sanders is coming to Boulder, but not before this initiative was put in place to assure some of those inequities were fixed. By removing a potential stumbling block, Colorado has a chance to consistently win, just like in the days of Bill McCartney when the Buffaloes captured their only national title.

Yedlin, Zimmerman praise embattled US coach Berhalter

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — National team defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman have praised U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter for bringing the Americans together at the World Cup even as he’s currently under investigation by U.S. Soccer for a 1991 incident during which he kicked his now-wife. The U.S. Soccer Federation said it learned of the allegation against Berhalter on Dec. 11 and hired a law firm to investigate. The federation says Berhalter and his wife Rosalind had “spoken openly” about the matter, and Berhalter admitted kicking her during an argument after a night of drinking in 1991 before they were married.